Love, the Guest

Week 2: People Look East

GENESIS 18:1-10

The Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them and bowed down to the ground. He said, “My lord, if I find favor with you, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.” And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah and said, “Make ready quickly three measures of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes.” Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it. Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared and set it before them, and he stood by them under the tree while they ate.

They said to him, “Where is your wife Sarah?” And he said, “There, in the tent.” Then one said, “I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent entrance behind him

REFLECTION

Love the guest is on the way. Hospitality was a chief value in the ancient world, and one that was critical for a people who had nomadic roots—the kindness of strangers could make the difference between life and death in a desert environment. Biblical law especially encouraged hospitality toward the stranger, reminding the Israelites that they themselves had been “strangers in a strange land” (Lev. 19:34). It was a matter of honor to be a gracious host in ancient Israel, and no one could ask for a better role model than Abraham, who ran to greet these three strangers and generously tended to their every need. In fact, some rabbis taught that Abraham was such a gracious host that he always left the walls of his tents open on all four sides, so he would never miss an opportunity to welcome a guest coming from any direction. 

Of course, the irony of this story is that Abraham’s guests have come to bring him a blessing far greater than any hospitality he can offer. They are the ones who will offer kindness that makes the difference between life and death—a son to carry on Abraham’s name, even in his old age. In making room for these three guests, Abraham discovers how God has already been making room for him, paving the way for generations to come, and ultimately paving the way for the one who will make the final difference between life and death. 

In this season, as many of us prepare to welcome friends and family into our homes for holiday celebrations, Abraham can be a role model for us as well. When we trim the hearth and set the table to welcome a guest may we too make room for love because love first made room for us.

REFLECTION QUESTION(S):

1. Can you remember a time when you welcomed a stranger who ended up bringing you a blessing you could not have anticipated?

2. How can we leave the walls of our tents open for one another and for God in this season?

 “Abraham and the Three Angels” – by Marc Chagall, c.1966

WRITTEN BY

Lucy Baum